The crowd of about 9,000, consisting mostly of screaming teenagers and the parents who were dragged there by their kids, sang along to the entire song by song production of the band’s latest album The Black Parade. Dubbing themselves by the previous moniker, lead singer Gerard Way and the rest of the band (including additional musicians, including an extra guitarist and keyboardist) came out in deathly looking pancake makeup and went through great new tracks, such as “Dead!” and “The Sharpest Lives.” The band’s title single was played early on, in which confetti littered the crowd prematurely. The song may be a big hit, but compared to the other songs on the album, it falls pale in comparison.

The album was played in it’s entirety, with much of the strongest material saved until the last three songs. Within the 70s rock swagger of “Teenagers,” the borderline 80s sounding power ballad “Disenchanted” and the rollicking current single “Famous Last Words,” Way and the band showed the strengths of the semi-operatic new album.

The band also showed off elaborate stage backdrops and a lot of pyro, which was used to excess in certain points. Also, Way played to the female crowd by shaking his ass a little too much for certain reviewers in the crowd. But the hour long “Black Parade ” set was an exciting thing to see.

The band re-emerged for a 30-minute set of previous hits by the band, starting with the band’s best single, 2005's “I’m Not Okay.” Clad in usual rock gear, the band showed that they didn’t need the facepaint and huge backdrops to perform quality tracks such as “The Ghost Of You” and “I Never Told You What I Do For a Living.” The last portion of the show seemed anti-climatic due to the grandeur of the previous set, but it held up well on its own.

Next time though, I suggest rearranging the set so the “Black Parade” is what the band closes with, because it was far superior to the “hits” set at the end.

Chicago political rockers Rise Against opened the show in a 45-minute set, that was poignant for the older fans in attendance. But songs like “Prayer of the Refugee” and “Give It All” seemed over the heads of the middle school aged fans who were there to just see My Chemical Romance. Rise Against is a focused band, but playing to an older crowd may have helped their message get through a little more than it did.